Word to the Wise: Euphemism

A "euphemism" (YOO-fuh-miz-um) is a nice way of saying something that is not nice. The word is from the Greek for "to use auspicious words."

Example (as used by Jeff Giles in a New York Times review of Legends of the Chelsea Hotel by Ed Hamilton): "The Chelsea Hotel describes itself as ‘a rest stop for rare individuals,’ a euphemism that still manages to pass the truth-in-advertising test if you take ‘rare individuals’ to mean artists and addicts, and ‘rest stop’ to mean possible death."

Similar Articles:

• What’s Missing From YOUR Business? - The hotel in downtown Cleveland is clean and quiet. The staff is courteous and helpful. The rooms ar…
• Hotel Insider Reveals How to Snag the Best Deals - Over the past 14 years, Wendy G. has worked her way up from hotel front desks to operations and beyo…
• Word to the Wise: Temerarious - "Temerarious" (tem-uh-RARE-ee-us) - from the Latin - means recklessly or presumptuously da…
• The Dirtiest Hotels in the U.S. - You are doing a little research online before making reservations for your upcoming vacation, and yo…
• Edging Away From the Cliff - Banks are tightening lending standards to businesses and would-be homeowners. But not to individuals…
• Why Gas Prices and Airline Fees Shouldn’t Stop You From Traveling - High gas prices and rising airline fees may be keeping you closer to home than you’d like to be… but…
• Word to the Wise: Recherche - Something that’s "recherche" (ruh-sher-SHAY) - from the French for "to seek out"…